Under The Yellow Tree
by Ebory Moore
Summary: AH, OOC. Sometimes a happy ending takes a lot of work. Especially when Bella decides she won't date any more. What will Edward do to win her over? Cannon Pairings. ONHIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Rated M for under age drinking and drug abuse. Possible lemons in future chapters.**

**Beta- JulietPeacock**

**Thank you for reading!**

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Bella was a quiet person by nature. If she opened up and you gave her the chance, you'd realize that she's usually pretty loud and funny, very smart and knows a lot of useless closet trivia. Like, she could probably tell you in which country they make the best wine, or what time it is right now in New Zealand.

She always wore a worried smile and read faster than any person in the world. Her way to pass the time was to analyze every single thing or person that passed her by. She peopled watched all the time, observing, always. She was really intelligent and school was very easy for her, to the point that, even without studying or doing homework –she was incredibly lazy- she still passed. People who didn't know her thought she was way too serious and aloof, but she was just mature for her age.

All of these qualities, Edward loved.

Edward was as weird as it got. He had one of those artist minds, turmoiled and a complete mess. His thoughts were all rambled together and only made sense to him. He constantly questioned things that people usually just don't even think about, making everything much more difficult than it should be.

For an outsider, they looked perfect for each other. Bella had chestnut-colored hair and eyes, while Edward had a mess of copper-y colored locks and intense green eyes. They both had fair skin and some freckles across their cheeks and nose, big feet, and a twisted sense of humor.

They had many differences, whatsoever. Bella was a germ freak, constantly washing her hands, showering twice a day, while Edward washed scarcely, only after football practice. Edward smoked and drank compulsively, while Bella sometimes smoked with Alice on her water pipe. Edward could be smelled for miles, and everyone knew of his addictions, while Bella hid them carefully.

They had always been just friends. Jasper was under the impression that they liked each other for a while, but Alice told him that it was impossible. She agreed that he most definitely liked Bella, –It's impossible not to like her— but Bella had sworn that she wouldn't date anyone after her last boyfriend, Riley, who cheated on her. She was very stubborn. Once her mind was made, it was close to impossible to make her change her opinion. She used a quote whenever Alice mentioned her stubbornness, which Alice learned was said by Mr. Darcy afterwards, that was "_My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."_ Alice had no idea what she meant, since she had never read that book, but decided that it didn't matter. It probably only made sense to Bella.

Edward and Bella didn't realize when, how or why they did it but they spent most of the time together. Today, he dropped by her house for no reason at all. Her bedroom was always a big mess, and she always felt embarrassed to have people over. Honestly, Edward couldn't care less, and anyways, his room probably looked much worse.

He was sitting down on the rocking chair by the corner while she was standing next to the bed, rummaging the nightstand drawer.

"Bella?" He started, unsure if he should continue or just drop it and go home.

"What's up?" She answered absentmindedly while she looked for cotton balls and nail polish remover. Edward waited for her to find them before he continued, then started again, stalling a little when she sat on the bed and opened the little bottle, dipping the cotton in it.

"Can I ask you a question?" He replied, already feeling unsure. He didn't like it one bit. Bella always made him doubt himself.

The corners of her mouth twitched. "Didn't give me much of a chance there, did ya?" She answered jokingly, but gestured him to continue after noticing his serious expression.

"I—" He stammered and stopped. Edward cleared his throat and basically yelled, "IthinkI'minlovewithyou!" And shut his eyes.

Even with his rambled words, Bella understood perfectly. His words made her jump and knock the nail polish remover bottle on the comforter. She ignored this and the comment he made, and picked on her nails nervously, looking in every direction but his. She suddenly stood up and faced him.

"I was not expecting this conversation…" She murmured, loud enough for him to hear her.

"Will you ever—" He stopped and hesitated. "Will you ever feel the same way about me?"

She paced around for a bit, and then decided to look for her phone and wallet. Her trembling fingers made it almost impossible for her to open her bag, but she managed. She decided she would leave the room, go someplace he wouldn't follow. She needed the space.

"Bella, please tell me, am I alone in this? I mean, is this all me? Please tell me. It really hurts not knowing." He told her, instantly cringing at how cliché his words sounded.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I— I have to— I have to go." She quickly ran off, grabbing a jacket and her car keys, leaving him in her room, surrounded by her scent to torture his senses.

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_**Beta's Note: oneofeddiesgirls: Thanks for the save, dude. Your profile pic is still distracting.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next day in school, Edward was quiet. He seemed thoughtful, but somehow relieved of the pressure of actually having the courage to say the words.

As the last bell rang, he and Jasper, his best friend, went for a bite at the Diner before football practice.

They sat at their usual table by the back, and Edward just sat there, frowning and looking immensely preoccupied.

"So…" Jasper started, visibly uncomfortable with his best friend's unusual quiet demeanor.

"I told her." Edward answered as he toyed with the napkin dispenser.

"You told her?" Jasper said, his eyebrows rising immediately. This, he wasn't expecting. "What exactly did you say to her?" He inquired.

Edward laughed dryly. "I told her what I told you I was going to tell her."

"You didn't tell me what you were going to tell her. You didn't even tell me you were going to tell her something at all." He answered and shook his head at his rambling, his blonde, shaggy hair shaking along. "You just told me that you realized you had feelings for her."

"That's what I told her." Edward said, clearly losing his patience.

"What did you say exactly?"

"Something like 'I think I'm in love with you.' I don't know, man. It's pretty blurry. The adrenaline and disappointment, and all." He tried to joke, but it came out lacking.

Jasper just stared at him, incredulous. His face made Edward's mood slip away, morphing to anger and despair.

"How did she take it?" Jasper said after a long and awkward pause.

"She said she wasn't expecting that and left. She left her own bedroom to go God knows where."

Jasper nodded understandingly, as if he had ever gone through that. But Edward was aware of the fact that Jasper had never really been in a serious relationship, and had never faced anything like this.

He tried to smile a little at his friend, who, although he did not understand him, he still tried to support him, but it came out like a grimace.

Their awkward staring contest was cut short with the waitress bringing their food. They didn't even order any more. Charlotte, Jasper's cousin, worked at the Diner and just started bringing them their food before they ordered. They always got the exact same food.

Right now, as the smell of canola oil and fat got to him from his cheeseburger and fries, Edward felt like throwing up.

"That sucks." Jasper finally said between bites, earning a kick in the shin from Edward. All feelings of appreciation from him were now gone, replaced by annoyance.

"Asshole." Edward muttered under his breath.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Bella was laying down on Alice's huge, pink bean bag as Alice did yoga, a hobby she has decided to start on a couple of weeks back.

She looked awful. There were bags under her eyes from lack of sleeping, and her clothes were even more mismatched that they usually were, if that was even possible.

Bella couldn't believe it. She had played and replayed the scenario in her head, still not making sense of what had happened.

"Just tell me already." Alice said, rolling her eyes as she changed positions.

"Well, uh, Edward sort of…toldmehelovedme." Bella said, cringing when she realized she had done the same thing he did.

"Bella, we all knew it was going to happen soon enough." Alice exclaimed breathlessly as she stretched in positions that looked dirty to Bella's eyes.

"So you always tell me, but I truly didn't believe it. I thought we were on the same page. He told me we were on the same page! Why would he say that after I clearly told him that I don't date? Not since Riley!" Bella told her friend in one breath.

"Where and when did he say it?" Alice asked, ignoring Bella's exasperated rambling.

"My room, yesterday afternoon."

"And what did you say to him?" Alice inquired, her interest piqued. She was a sucker for soap operas. Whenever an aspect of her or Bella's life seemed like it could belong on an episode of '_Days of Our Lives',_ she got really into it.

"I didn't say anything. I just left. I mean, what could I have said?" Bella huffed.

"How did he say it?" Asked Alice, ignoring her question.

Bella was getting sick of her interrogation. "He said, 'I think I'm in love with you.'"

Alice hummed and resumed her yoga without an answer. After what seemed like hours but couldn't be mere minutes, she spoke again.

"And how do you feel about it?"

"I don't even know, Alice. I mean, he's my best friend. He knows me more than any other boy… Hell, he knows me more than anyone apart from you. I just don't like him that way. I can't make myself love someone, you know? And it wouldn't be fair to him if I started to date him or something, and had no feelings whatsoever. It wouldn't even be fair to _me_."

"That sucks." Alice answered, nodding. She quickly got back to the yoga, doing a headstand.

Bella snorted at her best friend's inability to show emotion and grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at her, knocking her over.

"Asshole." She muttered and went back to reading a magazine, dismissing whatever comment Alice had for her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The week flew by, and suddenly, it was Saturday. The sky was virtually clear, surprising for Forks. Bella was sitting under her tree. It was a tree that Edward and Bella called 'The Yellow Tree.' A couple of days every year, the tree shed all of its leaves, replacing them for millions of beautiful and small yellow flowers. Edward and her had stumbled upon it when they were looking for a place to sit down for a while, while she read and he played guitar. She stopped reading her book and looked up, sighing noisily and looked down again, re-reading the paragraph for the hundredth time, her mind running wild.  
_It was such a bad idea to come her,_ she thought. _I can't stop thinking about him._

She had not noticed him standing in the distance, staring at her before approaching her. Her mahogany hair was shimmering with the reflection of the sun, making her fair skin clear and smooth, yet highlighting her freckles as well. Her mouth was always half open, specially while she read. If you looked closely, you could notice her lips moving almost imperceptible as she read along.

"Hey there, Sunshine."He said, sitting beside her. He somehow uncomfortable under the yellow tree. It helped him as reassurance. The fact that she was here meant that he hadn't lost her completely.

"Eeyore…" Bella answered uninterested, making his heart speed up when she used her nickname for him. "You are late."

"I didn't think you would show up at all." He commented, his tone cautious.

"Why wouldn't I? It's Saturday." She said, trying to give him a hint. This is what she was good at. Pretending stuff didn't happen. This is how she survived.

She called him Eeyore because he 'constantly fretted and used sarcasm as a defense mechanism. And because he was gloomy often'. This he knew, since she had told him as much.

She didn't know, however, the reason why he called her Sunshine, and didn't dare ask, especially not now, since she feared the answer. She didn't feel like revisiting that place she was at two days ago.

They were content in each other's company. He took out the guitar he was carrying from the case and started playing one of her favorite songs, finding happiness in the smile that played on her lips when she recognized the melody.

She went back to her book and he kept playing, sometimes singing along with his velvet voice.

They were under the tree for hours. Feeling happy with just being _there_.

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**SORRY for making chapters so short!**

**I'll upload next chapter on Friday. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**x**


	5. Chapter 5

It was Friday afternoon. For a while now, the gang got together the first Friday of every month to smoke weed, or how they usually referred to it when parents or grownups in general were around, 'M.A.S.' They had come up with it ages ago, but they were so out of it, that they could not remember what it stood for.

At first, Bella had been a little hesitant after reading all the posters her dad had up over at the station about how quickly people got addicted to pot and turned to stronger drugs, but she got over it.

"I can't show up today, guys." Said Edward, looking apologetic. "It's my uncle's birthday. Next time for sure."  
Bella watched him turn around and head off to his next class. He was wearing worn jeans, pink Floyd converses, and a leather jacket over a white t shirt. The jacket was his amulet, and he wore it on lucky days.  
Bella had always been pleasantly surprised that Edward was so family oriented. He knew all the birthdays and never missed one. Once, when they were at the beach, he spent a lot of time and money buying souvenirs for every close family member he had and told Bella thousands of stories about his family and his dad, always looking immensely proud.

Bella was also very jealous. Her dad had died a couple of years back, and ever since her mom found a new boyfriend, whom she married, she had stopped paying attention to her. Many teens would find that amazing, but Bella felt lonely.

Renee's husband, Phil, didn't know the meaning of the word privacy. He was always sticking his nose in her business, which really bothered her, since she was such a private person.  
"So, have you found a boyfriend, Isa?" He constantly asked, at every moment he had a chance. As if her current relationship status would change in the time span it took her to shower.

He also called her every name possible except the only one she didn't despise.

"You should find more boys your age. Mike Newton is as good as any. If you keep spending all your time with that Edwin guy, you'll never catch nobody. And ain't he a little old for you?" He insisted.

"I hate Mike Newton. And _Edward" _She spit the word. "Is only a year older than me. We're both juniors. You and mom, in the other hand, have ten years of difference."

At this, Renee looked up. "Only eight years, dear." She cooed at her boyfriend and tried to smile with her entirely too Botox-ed face.

Renee had always been ridiculous. Bella loved her mother but she knew that she couldn't count on her because her mom lived in a world apart where the only person that existed was herself.

Bella had made a habit of going to the local café to jam with her guitar for a couple of bucks in order to buy some of the stuff she needed. Sometimes Bella had to buy her own food and hide it in her room so that Renee or Lauren, Phil's daughter, wouldn't eat it.

She ate way too much, never washed her hair, and smelled a little rotten. Alice couldn't stand her. The worst thing of all was that all the guys died for her and she constantly got laid in parties which Bella said was bad for her reputation because everyone in high school thought she was a slut. This didn't worry Lauren because as Bella´s mother, she lived in a world apart. Or apparently only apart in certain boundaries because she insisted in getting inside of Bella´s life and usually made up sleepovers at Bella´s, she even had her own room and loved to take things without Bella´s permission. And every time Bella did something, there was Lauren to copy her.  
So Bella had never experienced the family life Edward had and this made her jealous but most of all, made her feel lonely because her best friend didn't understand her the way she wanted him to. Only Alice would listen to her but quietly because her own father had left them for another women and Alice hadn't heard from him in over half a year. This made her be close to Bella but still they knew they shouldn't touch the topic too much because it made them both sad.

"It will just be us, then, Pumpkin. The hottest girls in the whole school." Alice said, beaming, making Bella roll her eyes.

Bella knew that statement was only right for Alice. She was over confident, but didn't gloat, which made her much too attractive to boys. She wore hippie clothes and cut every single shirt she had to make it different. Never wore brands and didn't really care about love or guys. She thought that a woman only needs men to get laid. She had lots of guy friends, making Bella her only female friend and of course best friend. Alice was an artist and was convinced that she would never have kids and had the most amazing voice that Bella had ever heard. She drove a hippie van to school and was one of those girls that we call revolutionary.

Bella didn't like complements but decided to accept this one just that day because she was happy because didn't really want Edward to come with them ever since the incident of love declaration, she wasn't comfortable hanging out with him. Only under the yellow tree she could stand it because nobody could see them there,

"Threesome tonight, guys!" Yelled Emmett, fist pumping the air and earning an eye roll from both Bella and Alice.

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They all sat together at the round table of the reasoning and world apart, were they didn't have to worry about what other people thought about them "the pot gang" of the school, or how shitty their lives were or other people´s idiocy. And that was exactly what Bella needed.  
There they talked about the reasons why the sky was blue, why they killed John Lennon or simply nonsense that they came up with.  
This beautiful place was at Jasper´s house. He lived in the basement that was a dark humid place full of old rock band´s posters or almost naked chicks behind the doors. And there it was, behind the blue matt that laid under Jasper´s lit table and was only known by the gang members. This Jasper said was a place that his grandfather had used to hide from Nazi bobs that came by during WWII and according to some studies made by innocent questions made to Jasper´s parents, only Jasper knew about its existence.  
Now there is something we can thank WWII for, if we are being way too positive.

They sat in the patio outside, smoking weed. They were very chilled when they did, usually just escaping into their own little words.

"I can't stand you guys not talking to each other anymore." Said Alice after a long silence.

"Yeah, have you seen how often he talks about Bella's boobs? Or stares at them?" Jasper added.

Bella blushed furiously and her eyes widened.

"Shut up Jasper! Your making her face look weird...er… HAHAHAHA!" Said Alice trying to open her eyes that glared at Bella as two blood injected bulbs.  
"Shut up, you hippie Barbie! You don't get to laugh at other people's imperfections just because you lack them!" Bella said, knowing full well that Alice wouldn't get offended.

"I'm not perfect Bella! Look how my nose looks from this angle… or when I twist it like this…" Said Alice making weird faces that made the three of them laugh until losing their breaths.  
"Being a teenager rocks when you enjoy M.A.S_." A_dded Jasper randomly but Bella agreed completely with that statement.  
They only nodded their heads and smiled at the smoke that flew up and up and up until it disappeared.

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Five hours later Bella lay on her bed thoughtfully. Still dizzy, she thought about Edward. She asked herself, WHAT IF? Oh wrong question Bella, she constantly told herself. But she couldn't help it, imagining his hands touching her hair, or hugging her tightly making her feel safe. Or his lips, those soft lips that he constantly bit when he was talking at her or saw a pretty girl in a movie or walking down the street. She wondered how it would be like to…. NO BELLA! How can you be thinking that about your own best friend? Even worst, Edward Cullen, the guy that she had seen kissing Lauren that night at Emma´s goodbye party in a really nasty view and personally it wasn't the king of kisses she liked. No way.

And so she fell asleep into a deep quiet image of her father at the kitchen table waiting for her to finish with breakfast and so she could ask him what she wanted him to advise her on. It would be the dream that she always had after those nights, she knew that it was only her own conscience talking back at her answering questions from which she already knew the answer but it made her feel less lonely and lost.

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**Thanks for reading this far!**

**x**


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